I’m proposing to Syd because I can’t imagine my life without her. Because when I wake up, just the sight of her makes all my worries of what happens next disappear. Because at the end of the day, it’s her arms I want to be in and she’s who I want sitting next to me, listening to me ramble on if I have a bad day. After tonight, everything between us will be set in stone, and we will have nothing to worry about but what is for dinner and what show to put on the television.
I can practically feel my shoulders drop just thinking about how this day will end.
A couple of hours later, I stare at the blown-up balloons, the flowers I stepped out to get, and the picture frame and the chocolate and the alcohol-free champagne.
Where am I going to put this until after we talk?
Shit. I never thought of that.
My phone rings in my pocket before I have a chance to decide.
It’s my dad.
I’ve been avoiding him since I told him I wasn’t coming back. Long story short, he was not happy.
I take a deep breath and sit down at the table. It’ll be better to get this over with now rather than cause a scene when he’s here this week. If he’s still even planning to come to my graduation.
I look over at Sydney’s computer. She changed the screen wallpaper the other day to one of her and me. It’s exactly the confidence boost I need.
“Hey, Dad. How’s it going?”
“Real shitty, Mark. Real shitty. Do you even know what kind of fire I’m dealing with right now?”
“A big one?” I ask with a slight hesitation.
“It’s fucking huge.”
Oh, he’s swearing. I knew this would be bad.
“I’m giving you one last chance, son. One. Last. Chance to make sure you choose the right path. Hell, what are you even going to do? Where will you work? You can’t afford your lifestyle without the money this family has given you. Have you ever considered how this affects the way you raise your child? Do you want to struggle financially? Because this is what will happen to you if you don’t come back.”
What the hell is he talking about?
“What do you mean I’ll struggle financially if I don’t come back?”
He sighs so heavily that I swear he’s standing right next to me.
“I told you to read the contract.”
“I did. I skimmed it. It looked standard.”
“Oh hell, Mark. Had you read it, you’d have seen the clause that says you forfeit your inheritance if you don’t take a position with the company.”
“What?”
How could I miss that?
“Your sister had the same clause in her contact, as did I when I was a kid, and my father before me. It’s not personal, Mark, but you can still turn this around. Make the right choice.”
Sydney is the right choice, but without my inheritance, how will I provide for her? How will I take care of our baby? How will I make sure that they always have everything they need?
“I had no idea.”
“I was sure Sydney had mentioned it by now. Your sister told me how she let it slip at the shower yesterday.”
Syd knows about the money. Is that why she wanted me to go back? Why wouldn’t she tell me?
Why doesn’t anyone communicate with me?
